search for independence
by recklesslouise
Summary: Inoue left Karakura, bur before she did, she has something to say to Ichigo.
1. Chapter 1

Still fresh from Ichigo's memory was the day of their high school graduation. After the ceremonies, Inoue sought him and asked for a private moment with him. He had always known how Inoue felt for him. It was like a fact that was never spoken but accepted by everybody. Having Inoue admire him boosts his self-esteem, but making her his girlfriend is a totally different thing that is very uncomfortable and very risky. That's why when Inoue asked if she could speak to him privately, he panicked inside.

"uhm.. Kurosaki-kun?"

Ichigo turned upon hearing this and saw a blushing Inoue with her eyes downcast.

"Inoue?"

"Congratulations to us."

"Yeah.."

Inoue looked like she wanted to say more and is looking around them.

"Uhm Kurosaki-kun? Do you mind if I talk to you alone for just a bit?"

The alarm went off in Ichigo's head. _Is she gonna confess now?_

"…sure." Ichigo turned to his dad. "Dad? I'm just gonna go outside a bit. See ya!"

"Huh?!! Oh hi Orihime-chan! Take care of my Ichigo, ne?"

"eheheheh" Orihime nervously laughed.

Ichigo ushered Orihime out in the hall and faced her nervously, not sure how to evade Orihime's confession without hurting her, if possible.

"Sorry Kurosaki-kun, I took you away from your family."

"Nah, don't worry about it. We see each other everyday anyway."

"Uhm Kurosaki-kun.."

_Here it goes.. _Ichigo thought, almost biting his tongue. This is making him nervous than on any fight he has been in.

"Thank you so much for everything. I can't even properly thank you and do something for you in return for all the help you have given me and now…"

_Eh?! What's this?_

"And now I have to ask you another favor. I'm moving away from Karakura. Please Kurosaki-kun, please make sure Tatsuki-chan, Sado-kun, Ishda-kun and… Kuchiki-san is never lonely."

"What? Where are you going? Why do you have to move away?"

"I can't rely on my relatives for everything, A University has given me scholarship. And it's far from Karakura."

"Any University here could probably give you scholarship since you're one of the best student here Inoue. Tell me the reason truthfully this time."

Tears formed at the corner of Inoue's eyes made Ichigo regret being so straight-forward, yet knowing Inoue would probably never tell him if he wasn't like that.

"I.. I want to be independent, I don't want to be a burden. I want to protect myself Kurosaki-kun."

Realization dawned on Ichigo. "So the reason you're going is me?!" By now, Ichigo has this strong urge to grabbed the girl by her shoulders and shake her.

"How many times do I have to tell you your not a burden Inoue?"

"Kurosaki-kun knows how I feel for him right?"

Too sudden. Ichigo's eyes widen, and he froze. That made him speechless.

"I know how you feel about me liking you too. Like how you knew about my feeling without anyone telling you. I'm not confessing, I don't want you to go through the pain of rejecting me. But why is it Kurosaki-kun? You didn't want me too close, yet you didn't want me too far either?"

That question is like a bucket of ice thrown over his head. He might be a very powerful shinigami but Zangetsu and his hollow won't be of any help to him right now.

_I don't want her to go, I know what to say to make her stay. But this is her decision. Orihime, please come back when you've accomplished what you want to. I do want you by my side after all. _Is what Ichigo thought at that moment, but didn't get to say.

After a moment of silence that felt like an eternity Inoue spoke again.

"What am I saying?" Inoue covered her mouth looking confused and embarrassed and painfully beautiful.

"I should be thanking you again instead of questioning you."

"Thank you Kurosaki-kun, it would've been very sad if you didn't try to stop me."

That's the last thing Inoue told her. It's already been two years. And he still hasn't forgotten.

..........................

Ichigo overheard from his friends conversation that Inoue went to an Art school. That's about the only thing he knows. He doesn't know what school, where, or how she is doing now.

He didn't dare ask for he didn't feel he has the right to, after hurting a friend.

Rukia still "lives" in their house to keep watch of him, and of Karakura. He still occasionally deal with hollows that the resident shinigami can't finish, but aside from that he's living quite a normal college life. Sometimes it's too normal, too dull.

Beep!

That's Tatsuki reminding him of the party for the opening of her dojo tonight. He's pretty sure Chad's going to be there since the two is most obviously an item now. He can't think of a more suitable couple!

Arriving a bit early to the party to help turned out to be a wrong move when he knocked and it took them a minute to open the door only to greet him with swollen lips. That's Tatsuki and Chad, of course.

At the party!

"Oi Ichigo, you're girlfriend is here!" tatsuki yelled referring to Rukia.

"Oi Tatsuki! She's not my girlfriend!"

"yeah, we know, your gay!"

Everyone appreciated this a bit too much and laughed. Especially the boys in their highschool who knew about Inoue liking Ichigo, and Rukia living in his house.

"Whatever.." Ichigo tried to act cool.

Almost all of their highschool friends are there. Ishida (who turned out to be his classmate at University) Keigo, mizuiro and his new girlfriend, chizuru, Ryo and most of the girls. _Except one._

He is feeling a bit tipsy by now, because of the tonic that Chad mixed in with the juice, he leaned back and close his eyes on the sofa he's lounging on beside his friends. He was almost sleeping when he heard someone yell " Tatsuki-chan!" and a whiff of fresh flowers passed him. Then he opened his eyes with a jolt, thinking it was a dream.

But when he opened his eyes he found himself in a dream where the back of an auburn-haired girl is facing him while embracing a teary eyed Tatsuki. She turned a bit when released from the hug and he saw Inoue's pin on the girls head. That's about the only thing that didn't change. Wearing a loose off-shoulder top, fitted-jeans and strappy sandals, she definitely looked like an art student, a pretty one. Then she started to greet everybody else. Her presence brought certain happiness to everybody in the room. Smiles are evident on their faces and some are laughing and joking with her. Ichigo was smiling too, eventhough he doesn't feel like approaching her yet. His smile though was short-lived when Inoue turned and called "Renji-kun!"

Almost everybody in the room turned and look at the entrance where Renji stood, wearing a hoodie zipped up half-way with noting underneath it, a good pair of jeans with the hem tucked in on the laced-up boots he's wearing. The people, especially the girls, oohed and ahhed at the sight of him. Much to his surprise Renji's attention was on him.

"Yo! Ichigo!"

Everybody started talking all at the same time. "Is that your boyfriend Hime?"

"Wow! Where did you find him?" "Wah! Hime has someone with her! Oh no my Hime!"

That was where the party really did start actually. And by the end of it, only the people who know about soul society are left at Tatsuki's place. By now Tatsuki knows about everything.

"So? Why are you with her?" Ichigo asked the question he couldn't contain anymore.

"Why do I have to tell you?" Renji challenged.

"Oi Idiots! Don't start fighting as soon as the guest left" Rukia scold them.

"you knew right?" Ichigo asked Rukia.

"Yes."

"Why didn't—"

"You didn't ask Ichigo, you never did."

That pretty much shut him up. But something still bothers him. Inoue still haven't approached him, not even looked at him. Right now she's on the other side of the room having an animated discussion with Ishida, who seems to be enjoying himself.

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Yo, I disclaim ownership to the characters and to bleach...


	2. Chapter 2

"Can I stay over for the weekend Tatsuki-chan?"

"Of course! But how about that red hair?"

"Ah. He said he'll stay with Urahara-san while we're here in Karakura.."

"Hime? The school break is coming up, why don't you come back and spend your vacation here? We miss you. I know everybody agrees on this."

"Actually Tatsuki-chan, ours are finished for this year already. But I didn't make any plans for that yet. Let me think about it, okay? Thanks for the offer Tatsuki-chan!"

"Don't mention it.. Now I want to ask something"

"Hey red hair!"

All eyes on the room went to Tatsuki, while Orihime who predicted what's coming looked alarmed! Renji on the other hand raised an inquisitive brow at Tatsuki as he is widely sitting at the sofa looking relaxed.

"Why are you with Orihime?!"

Ichigo smirked, hoping Renji would answer Tatsuki. But before Renji could say anything Orihime beat him to it.

"Ah! T-T-Tatsuki-chan! Soul society asked him too!"

"Hime, I want to hear it from him.. Just to be sure.."

Renji sighed.

"I don't really like explaining myself. But since you're her friend I guess you have the right to know."

_I'm not her friend?_ Ichigo thought.

"None of you might have noticed but Orihime's reiatsu is as big as Ichigo's."

Ichigo looked surprised, so are the rest of them except for Ishida and Rukia.

"Although she has a very good skill at hiding it, she wasn't very good at using it. So when Soul Society found out that she is moving away from Karakura, I was assigned to do 2 things."

"One, to protect her. Two, to train her."

"Train her?!" Tatsuki said exactly what Ichigo was about too.

"Well, it's more like guiding her. She has very unusual powers that I know very little of. So it's been two years, the Inoue you're seeing now is not the same Inoue that left Karakura two years ago.."

"Stop Renji-kun.."

_Renji-kun huh.. They're on first name basis now eh? But wait Renji calls her Inoue.._

"What are you being shy about Inoue? You could probably kick that substitute shinigami's ass now!"

"Of course I can't! Even if I could, but of course I couldn't, I wouldn't want too!"

And then the inevitable happened, their eyes met.

Something happened to Ichigo's chest. It's so hot it feels like something's melting inside, probably is. As Orihime's face changed to flustered to embarrassed, to something else that resembles the face she's wearing before she left. Ichigo tried to smile, but he couldn't, his body doesn't belong to him anymore. Once, their eyes met they couldn't take it off each other. It feels like an eternity now, but Ichigo doesn't mind at all.

Beautiful. Too beautiful he wants to squint his eyes.

"Ehem!" Tatsuki cleared her throat and the spell was broken as they looked away from each other.

It dawned on them that everyone was staring at them; one with a smirk on her face, one shaking his head, one sighs and one watching them through narrowed eyes. Orihime turned red, but Ichigo doesn't give a damn.

"I have one last question though. What is your living arrangement with Orihime, red hair?"

"Abarai Renji is the name, Tatsuki-CHAN! And to answer you're question, I am posing as Inoue's boyfriend over there."

"You are what?! That didn't answer the question at all!" Ichigo couldn't hold himself back any longer. He unconsciously stood up from the bar stool he was sitting at. Actually, the way he was standing was like a tiger who is preparing to lunge at his prey.

"Ichigo! Let him finish!" Rukia intervened.

"It's actually my idea!" Orihime helped Renji.

"Don't act like a jealous boyfriend Ichigo." Renji said this half-joking, and half-meant.

Ichigo covered his embarrassment with rage as he almost growled at renji who was hiding his smile with his hand while staring at him.

"I-I just thought it would be easier. Since it's not really very uncommon for girls to be living with their boyfriend on that place. We can't really say we're siblings since we're too different. After I introduced him to my classmates as my boyfriend, nobody asked too many questions after wards." Inoue explained trying to persuade everybody, especially one.

"Do you mean to say that he's living with you?"

"Not really." Renji answered this time. "Urahara-san made a basement that looked like the one he has on his store at Orihime's apartment. That's where I usually sleep and where we train. I might look like a scum, but I respect you're friend Tatsuki."

"Thank you, Renji-kun. I respect you too."

Tatsuki sighed. "I don't think you get what he's saying, Hime."

"Eh?! Then what is he saying."

"Never mind. Never mind."

Ichigo calmed down a bit, after the explanation given by both of them.

_A jealous boyfriend? Is that how he acted? _

Ichigo stole a glance at Orihime whose smiling at Renji. And then he felt the rage rising within him again. He went across the room to Renji.

"Can we talk? Outside."

"You're not gonna leave me alone unless we did, right? Lead and I'll follow."

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Before Ichigo could say anything Renji beat him to it.

"It's such a pity Ichigo. You've known her for so long, yet you hadn't let her watch your back for you. She is a better fighter now. A good one actually. She beats my ass in training if I slack even just a bit."

"You better have not hurt her."

"You just don't get it. I went easy on her on the first time that we trained. Although her face doesn't show it I knew she was mad. I was attacking her where I know she was defending, right before Zabimaru hit her shield, it disappeared. I was so mad at myself, she was on the floor swimming in blood but she was conscious. I was about to apologize when I saw her eyes so filled with strength. The next thing I knew was Tsubaki's in my gut. After that she healed both of us. And then she told me, _"Holding back is the worst insult to a warrior." _ And I never made the same mistake again."

_Somehow I can imagine her doing that._

"We slay hollows there together. She watched my back, I watched hers. I asked her to call me Renji since we're comrade in arms now. And then she said I should call her Orihime. But whenever I do, for some reason unknown, she blushes. She's too cute when she blush that I have to stop."

"You better not." Ichigo silently responded.

"Heh. Don't worry Ichigo, there was never any room for me to interfere. Nor for anyone. I brought her to you, as you're last chance."

"What do you mean?" Ichigo is most obviously surprised.

"If you let her leave without doing anything, then I don't care whether there's no room for me. I'll build one myself."

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i do not own bleach.. i don't even know how to bleach stuff.. for real.


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